David Schembri
Crisis might lead to water shortage
Rainwater harvesting could be the key to less dependency on water production. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli
Unless Malta changed the way it got its water, it risked shortages in a time of crisis, just like Haiti did, according to an expert.
"Malta needs to reduce its dependence on aquifers not only for environmental reasons but mostly for strategic reasons," Marco Cremona, an engineer specialised in water studies and hydrology, told a conference on sustainable environment organised by Koperattivi Malta yesterday.
"Our island is in a seismic region. What would happen if an earthquake struck and our water supply was cut? If our aquifer was intact, all we would need was a rig and a generator to produce clean water," Mr Cremona explained, waving Sunday's The Observer, whose front page read Frantic Race To Get Clean Water To Survivors, referring to the Haiti earthquake aftermath.
All eyes were on Mr Cremona's presentation as he highlighted the shortcomings of Malta's water usage, especially when it came to agriculture, which depends heavily on water extracted from the aquifer. Malta has over 8,600 registered boreholes; 30 per square kilometre, the highest borehole density in the world.
According to Mr Cremona, Malta depends too much on the water from the aquifer and that produced by reverse osmosis, both of which are not sustainable.
"Ironically, Malta would run out of water if the world ran out of oil," Dr Cremona said. Reverse osmosis, supplying 55 per cent of Malta's water, depends on electricity to run.
Water from the aquifer is also at risk: "We're extracting far more water than is going in. Since the aquifer is at sea level, the fresh water we extract is being replaced with salt water," Mr Cremona said.
He pointed towards a graph showing water production from boreholes over the last 11 years. "If we extrapolate this, we might end up with no fresh water in the aquifer by the next 15 years."
All hope is not lost; right now, however, most water is.
"We're finding new ways of getting rid of water in the new flood relief systems when, at the same time, we spend a lot of money producing what we could be getting for free artificially through reverse osmosis," Mr Cremona remarked, referring to the flood relief projects announced recently.
On the other hand, the infrastructure was already available to collect and store rainwater: 31 small dams across major drainage lines, with a combined capacity of 154,000 cubic metres, and open reservoirs built in the 1970s, with a combined total volume of 250,000 cubic metres were already in place and only needed repairs.
Meanwhile, some of the dams and reservoirs, after years of disuse, are being used as gardens or storage rooms.
The hydrologist added that even though the law laid down that every building had to have a well, only about 10 per cent of units built in the last 10 years had one.
"The Water Resources Review of 2006 estimates that a 25 cubic metre cistern or equivalent in every household would result in the collection of about 4.5 million cubic metres of rainwater, which amounts to more than 40 per cent of the official billed domestic water consumption."
Harvested rainwater did not need to be treated to be used to wash clothes, floors, and cars, for gardening or flushing.
Another alternative for sustainable water production was to use recycled sewage, which would be good for irrigation. This, however, was quite a problem because the sewage treatment plants were nowhere close Malta's main agricultural areas.
Mr Cremona asked: "What would farmers prefer, a supply of treated effluent forever or 'free' groundwater for 15 years?"
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Marco Cremona
Jan 24th 2010, 22:54
@Jimmy Magro
The executive summary of the FAO 2006 Malta Water Resources Report draws the following conclusion "Malta's biggest problem is one of poor water governence".
On incentives, I suggest that government scraps the ill-conceived multi-million euro Malta South sewage treatment plant and flood relief infrastructural projects and re-allocates the money to:
1) construct a small number of regional sewage treatment plants that have the ability to treat water for unrestricted agricultural use - unlike the Malta South one;
2) provide monetary incentives for all houses under construction to build a rainwater harvesting cistern and enforce the law on those who persist in not complying with this building requirement. This will reduce the demand on the town water supply and prevent flooding.
Small scale sustainable solutions not expensive end-of-pipe projects that will only serve to fill the pockets of some rich contractor.
Jimmy Magro
Jan 24th 2010, 11:19
What Malta needs is good governance. We need to have national strategies build on the widest consensus and then strong leadership to implement the strategy. We have had cases where just a Minister's change overturned already taken decisions; let alone when we have a government change.
The problems earmarked by Ing Cremona have been created due to Malta not having a water strategy, weak leadership, ministerial interference and political feudom.
Government is urged to set up a Sustainability Fund with schemes that would assist the private sector and families in any initiative that is considered sustainable. For example if a hotel installs a small sewage recycling plat, that would qualify. If I install renewable energy at my house that would qualify and so. We can do more than just renewable energy. For example all houses having a well can be given a one time contribution of 1000euros.
There are so many ideas that we can do but we need to be creative, looking to achieve more than the EU tells us to do.
Denis Catania
Jan 23rd 2010, 14:52
If Malta had an earthquake the size of Haiti, the water is the last thing you need to worry about. it's the type of buildings Malta has that you need to worry about. The same destruction will happen if not worse. Water can always be brought in, but the dead is who you won't be able to help.
Charles Sammut
Jan 23rd 2010, 12:58
15 years is at least 3 government administrations away. Politicians do not plan that far. So don't expect anything concrete to happen for at least 10 years.
Regarding dams, the ones at Chadwick Lakes have been totally abandoned and are silted all the way to within a few centimetres of the top. The water just spills over on runs down to sea when it should be percolating down to the aquifer. Another case of 'no votes to be gained', so invest money elsewhere, where votes can be harvested. That's democracy.
Christian Sciberras
Jan 23rd 2010, 11:50
Thanks to Mr Cremona for the expert comment. I just wanted to say one thing, one doesn't need to be an expert in these things to know about the said problem, so why isn't it more well known?
I for one know about Malta being nearly at the edge of the north african plate since form 1, hardly trivial. But some Maltese do surprise me, especially the case where someone thought an elephant would be larger then the moon.
Yeah, we learn something new ever day...
I Abela
Jan 23rd 2010, 11:25
@ Marco Cremona - Very valid question but unfortunately the answer would not be the one you were hoping for. Knowing our Maltese mentality, first we take advantage of free water for 15 years, then we see. Isn't it better to start paying for water in 15 years time than right now ? Thank you for keeping us informed, and may I remind everyone that catastrophes do happen everywhere. Malta is no exception. One day it will hit us too, and when it happens, a bucket of water will be more valuable than a Ferrari of a 50Ft Yacht. Better be prepared.